COVINGTON, Ga. – The latest US Census Bureau estimates show Newton County grew twice as fast in 2021 as it did each year in the previous 10 years.
The county grew by nearly 2,900 new residents between April 2020 and July 2021 — much faster than the annual increase of 1,252 between 2010 and 2020.
The county had a population of over 115,355 as of the last December 2021 estimate, representing a growth rate of 2.6% since the 2020 federal census of 112,483 and an increase of 15.4% since the census of 2010.
The US Census Bureau released the constitutionally mandated 2020 decennial federal census totals in August 2021.
They showed:
• Newton County’s annual population growth of 12% between 2010 and 2020 was nearly double the US rate of 7% and well above Georgia’s rate of 10.5% over the same period.
• Newton County became a minority majority county in the decade between 2010 and 2020 after black and Latino residents combined for more than half of the population.
• The county’s white population has grown from 52% of the total population in 2010 to 42% in 2020.
More than 5,000 fewer white residents lived in Newton County in 2020 compared to 2010, dropping from 51,995 in 2010 to 46,746 in 2020.
• The black population has grown from 40% of the total in 2010 to 46% in 2020, making them the dominant race in Newton County.
Nearly 12,000 additional black residents have called Newton home, rising from 40,371 in 2010 to 52,246 in 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
By comparison, white residents made up 50% of the state’s population in 2020 (56% in 2010), and black residents made up 31% of Georgia’s total in 2020 (30% in 2010).
• Hispanic or Latino residents of Newton County have increased by more than 50% in 10 years, with 4,635 counted in 2010 and 7,164 in 2020.
Their share of Newton County’s population has increased from 4.6% in 2010 to 6.4% in 2020 – although it is lower than the 10.5% of Georgia’s population nationwide. state in 2020.
• The number of residents identifying as two or more races – also identifying as multiracial – increased from 1.7% in 2010 to 3.8% in 2020.
• Other population groups have not significantly changed their shares of Newton County’s population over the decade, with the largest segment of the 2020 population identifying as Asian at 0.9%, followed by from Some Other Race, 0.7%; American Indian, 0.2%; and Pacific Islander, 0.1%.
Nationally, the white population remained the largest racial or ethnic group in the United States, with 204.3 million people identifying as solely white.
Overall, 235.4 million people reported being white alone or in combination with another group. However, the white population alone has declined 8.6% since 2010, the Census Bureau reported.
Other figures from the 2020 census showed:
• Newton residents commuted an average of 34 minutes to work, compared to 29 minutes statewide.
• Only 21% of Newton residents had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 32% statewide; but 87% of county residents were high school graduates, matching the statewide rate.
• 14.4% of Newton residents were in poverty in 2020, nearly matching the state average of 14.0%.
• The county’s per capita income was below the state average in 2020, with Newton at $25,394 compared to $32,427 statewide. Per capita income is the total income of all Newton County residents divided by the total population.
• Newton’s median household income was $59,178, compared to $61,224 statewide.
• Only 6.6% of Newton Countians aged 5 and older lived in a home where a language other than English was spoken, compared to 14% statewide.
• 11.6% of Newton residents had a disability, compared to 9% of state residents.